Nouns

1. Nouns Pre-Modifiers

2. NOUNS – PreModifiers What if a single noun isn't specific enough for our purposes? How then do we modify a noun to construct a more specific reference?

3. NOUNS – PreModifiers HOUSE WHITE HOUSE MAN LARGE MAN

4. NOUNS – PreModifiers • Modificationis a somewhat technical term in linguistics. It does not mean to change something, as when we "modify" a car or dress. To modify means to limit, restrict, characterize, or otherwise focus meaning. We use this meaning throughout the discussion here.

5. NOUNS – PreModifiers Modifiers before the noun are called pre-modifiers. All of the pre- modifiers that are present and the noun together form a noun phrase .

6. NOUNS – PreModifiers The most common pre-modifiers are adjectives, such as red , long , hot . Other types of words often play this same role. Not only articles - the       water         but also verbs - running      water      and possessive pronouns - her      thoughts

7. NOUNS – PreModifiers Pre-modifiers limit the reference in a wide variety of ways. Order: second, last Location: kitchen, westerly Source or Origin: Canadian Color: red, dark Smell: acrid, scented Material: metal, oak Size: large, 5-inch Weight: heavy Luster: shiny, dull

8. NOUNS – PreModifiers Some noun phrases are short: thetable Some are long: the second shiny red Swedish touring sedan a large smelly red Irish setter my carved green Venetian glass saladbowl      *

9. NOUNS – PreModifiers Each construction would function as a single unit within a sentence. The noun phrase is the most common unit in English sentences.

10. NOUNS – PreModifiers See how much you can expand a pre-modifier in a noun phrase: thebook the history book the American history book the illustrated American history book the recent illustrated American history book the recent controversial illustrated American historybook the recent controversial illustrated leather bound American history book